Worcester State Lancers vs. Wesleyan (Conn.) Tournament Game Preview

Worcester, MA- The Lady Lancers play another back-to-back weekend tournament as they take on Wesleyan in the Wesleyan Tip-Off Tournament. Wesleyan defeated Fitchburg State on Saturday 71-27, while Worcester State had a come-from-behind victory against Rivier by a 73-65 score to set up the Sunday afternoon game. Below are three keys to the game that can provide positive momentum heading into Thanksgiving week and the Wesleyan Tip-Off Tournament Final Game.

1. Trust Your Defense: When playing on back-to-back days, teams need to rely on their defense because, on the offensive end of the court, shots could come up short with tired legs.

2. Stay Mentally Engaged: Since Wesleyan will be playing on their homecourt, it can be expected that they will be able to go on a few scoring runs during the game. It is critical for the Lady Lancers not to mentally check out on the second day of a back-to-back and try to respond to any counter-move Wesleyan makes.

3. Block out the Distractions: With Thanksgiving coming up on Thursday, it can be easy for the Lancers to look forward to eating a lot of food with family and friends. Everyone in the program needs to stay focused on the task at hand and try to finish off the weekend on a positive note.

When college basketball teams enter these early season tournaments, the short-term goal is to win the game at hand, but the more games coaches can get in, the higher the odds of teams connecting improve. If the Lady Lancers can get off to a strong start in MASCAC play, they can look back to early season tournaments like these as a significant reason they can hit the ground running in conference play.

~Conner Peters